MIDNIGHT VISIT
by Neil12
Summary: Lara visits Alex in the middle of the night for a "heart to heart". Enjoy and please comment.


MIDNIGHT VISIT

Neil Burns

It was a rainy evening and the night was blacker than obsidian. A loud clap

of thunder suddenly awoke Alex West from a restful sleep. As he stirred, he

realized that he was immobilized. It felt like he was in a crucified position and

as he started to say something, he could not. Something was preventing him.

'What the hell is going on?' he thought.

As if to answer his question, the lights suddenly turned on and he looked up to

The mirrored ceiling to see that the covers were removed, exposing UNIVERSITY

OF MIAMI boxers, and that he was tied to the bed and gagged with duct tape. He

Also saw that the digital clock on the bedside table said 12:00. Midnight. Suddenly,

A low throaty laugh caught his attention and he turned to it. Standing by the

Light switch, voluptuous and athletic body poured into a skintight black rubber

footed catsuit, full-lipped mouth curved into a smug, canary-eating cat grin was one

Lady Lara Croft.

"Oh, Mr. West!" she cooed in a dead-on Southern accent. "I am just your biggest

fan. Could y'all be a dear and sign this lovely steaming pile of bullshit you wrote?"

She then folded her arms and placed a fingerless-gloved hand under her chin as if

In thought while Alex struggled wondering what kind of game the Tomb Raider was

playing.

"Oh, yes," Lara purred as she walked toward the bed, rubber-encased feet padding

silently on the floor, her voice resuming its posh, Buckinghamshire accent. "I almost

forgot. I'm using the pages to line my new cat's litter box. Appropriate use for it."

The Raider mounted her American rival/sometimes lover, nestling her bottom on top

of his groin, and leaned forward with her arms folded on his chest, her face inches

from his. She gently rubbed his groin in a slow teasing manner for good measure.

"Of course, I could read it while I'm in the loo or, at least, use the pages to wipe my

arse. That's about the value of the bloody thing."

Alex protested, but the tape blocked any coherent words. Lara lazily stroked his hair

as a number of nasty fantasies paraded through her mind.

"Oh, Alexander James West," she cooed. "Whatever are we going to do with you?

You look so cute and yummy all tied up and helpless. I could just eat you all up.

We've been a naughty boy, haven't we?"

Another throaty laugh tickled Alex's ears as Lara again slowly and cruelly rubbed her

rubber-encased bottom against his groin, eliciting a soft moan.

"I must say I am sad, Alex," the Raider stated with a mock pout. "How often must I

say it? If you cross me, we can't remain friends. Yet, you continue to do so. Why?

I give you my love and you betray me. You steal what I have worked my arse off to

discover and sell it to the highest bidder. Why? Does my love mean nothing?"

Suddenly, the playfully wicked Lara disappeared almost immediately as the Raider's

face hardened and her eyes narrowed to chocolate slits as she slapped Alex hard across

the face. Alex protested the sudden slap as Lara fixed him with a glare that made the

Arctic Circle seem like a summer breeze.

"Tell me Alex," she demanded, her voice dripping acid. "Exactly what does my love

mean to you? What does our relationship mean? Am I just some fucktoy to love and

leave? Some pretty plaything to amuse you and throw away when you are bored?

Exactly what the fuck am I to you, Alex!"

As she glared as her helpless rival, the Tomb Raider thought back to that morning

where she was in the bookstore killing time when she caught Alex's book THE

RAIDING LIFE. Inside, he told of rising to prominence under the watchful

tutelage of one Richard Helingshley Croft. The many digs he was on and the

numerous artifacts he collected and donated. Of course, what Alex failed to

mention that he actually stole the items that Lara found and sold them to the highest

bidder, thus affording himself a comfortable living. Even worse, he would go

on to Archeology Kids, a children's show dedicated to teaching future explorers

the beauty of ancient cultures, and lie about his finds.

"About what I said," Lara said, after a lengthy silence, "I meant it. How stupid

do you think people are, Alex? Do you really think they'll buy this _**bullshit**_

about you being the second coming of Indiana Jones? I hate to disillusion you,

but my father would have absolutely nothing to do with you. Both you and I

know you steal whatever I find and sell it to the highest bidder. Can we say

'prayer wheels', boys and girls? Now, you supposedly found the funeral mask

of Princess Xia Lo Fa when we both know you stole it from my hotel room

in Berlin last week."

One gloved hand grabbed Alex's hair and tilted his head so he looked its

owner in the eye.

"How much, Alex?" Lara demanded. "How much is Simon Powers paying

you to give him the mask?"

Suddenly, the cruel grin that was on her face earlier returned as she once again

began to rub her bottom against Alex's groin slowly and teasingly, purring like

a tiger cornering her prey. She licked her lips as her grip on Alex's hair loosened

and turned into a gentle stroking of the cheek.

"Of course, if you told me," she cooed, kissing Alex's nose, "I could forgive

you. We are friends after all." A sardonic tone colored 'friends'. "I mean I

am not a _**complete**_ bitch."

Despite the duct tape covering his mouth, Alex laughed and a muffled "Bullshit"

could be heard. Lara chuckled as she patted his cheek.

"I'm not. A bitch, yes. Not a complete bitch. That's Natla or Amanda. Anyway,

where is the mask and how much is Powers paying you?"

Alex said nothing, but Lara merely smiled. She knew where his wall safe was

and the combination to open it, having gotten it from a drunken Alex one night.

"You might want to write a retraction on your novel and apologize for the lies

you wrote. Or at least, have the decency to sell it as fiction."

Alex protested that he would do no such thing and that the novel was fine the

way it was. Of course, Lara knew that she would have to go on Archeology

Kids and straighten things out.

"Something else bothers me," Lara mused. "I'm sure you and the other

perverts got a good laugh seeing me naked."

Alex chuckled at that. He actually thought Bryce would hold his ground and

refuse to go through with the dare, out of self-preservation and out of respect

for the Tomb Raider.

"Please tell me that stupid dare was not your idea."

A muffled 'No. It was Hutton' answered the Raider's question.

"That sounds either like Larson or Hutton. Since Mr. Larson is not smart

enough to tie his own shoes, I will have to go with the latter. Bryce got off

easy, you know. Four months of foot messages and being my human target.

If that were you, you would be in intensive care or the morgue."

'I don't doubt that.' Alex thought. Suddenly, Lara took a commando knife

from her gunbelt and cut the cord tying Alex's right hand to the headboard.

she then held the hand as she placed the knife in it.

"Here's the knife," she smiled. "I am trusting you to wait until I am gone

to free yourself. I enjoyed our little chat. Clear a few things up. I do like

you, Alex. You are a good man, but you need to make smarter decisions

and not ones that are for the money and fuck all to everyone else."

The Tomb Raider kissed Alex's cheek and patted his cheek. She then

got off him and headed toward the door. When she got there, she turned

around and smiled at her rival.

"The chapter you wrote about me was flattering. I guess we do have a sort

of like/hate relationship. Good night, Alex."

She blew him a kiss then left. Alex looked at the door wondering how the

hell she got in and how she knew he had the mask. He waited a few minutes

before freeing himself. Alex then jumped off the bed and put on a robe.  
He ran into the study where he saw the wall safe open and empty. On the

table he saw a note and a check. He picked up the check and saw it was for

twenty million dollars. Twice what Powers was paying him to retrieve the

mask. He did not bother with the note, knowing it was probably Lara

gloating about having the mask. Alex chuckled as he shook his head and

went back to bed.

"Enjoy your laugh, Croft," he smiled. "Just remember. Payback's a bitch!"

THE END


End file.
